Hyperlinks are now a standard fixture in Office documents, but many users don’t know much beyond how to click on them. Susan Harkins has rounded up an assortment of tweaks for fine-tuning the behavior of hyperlinks and using them for specialized tasks.

Hyperlinks reduce the task of retrieving data to a quick click. As a side benefit, they reduce typos and other mistakes you might make if you had to do the work of a hyperlink manually. For the most part, inserting a hyperlink is easy work. But you might not be using them to their (or your) best advantage. There’s more to hyperlinks than a little formatting and quick access. Here are a few tricks you can use to make the most of the hyperlink functionality in Office.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Control how Word follows a hyperlink

At the settings level, there are two ways to control how to follow a link. By default, when you hover the mouse over a hyperlink, the application displays a ScreenTip with the link’s address and instructions to hold down Ctrl while clicking the link. Alternately, you can right-click the link and choose Open Hyperlink from the resulting context menu. Since most of us are use to a single click, you might find this configuration annoying. Fortunately, you can change it:

#2: Add a custom ScreenTip

The hyperlink ScreenTip lets you check the link’s address before clicking, which is the smart thing to do. Don’t let hyperlinks take you anywhere you shouldn’t or don’t want to go.

If necessary, you can usurp the default message to display a custom message, as follows:

1. Position the cursor anywhere inside the link, right-click, and choose Edit Hyperlink from the context menu. Or just click Insert Hyperlink on the Standard toolbar. Office 2007 users will find Hyperlink in the Links group on the Insert tab.
2. In the Edit Hyperlink dialog box, click the ScreenTip button.
3. Enter the custom text you want to use as the hyperlink’s ScreenTip, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A: Enter a custom ScreenTip.

1. Click OK.

Hovering over the link will display your custom message, as shown in Figure B, instead of the default.

Figure B: Instead of displaying the link’s path, you can display a custom message.

#3: Link to a specific Excel sheet or cell

Creating a hyperlink to an Excel workbook is easy enough. You click the Insert Hyperlink tool on the Standard toolbar, use the Look In control to locate the workbook you want to link to, enter the display text, and press OK.

However, there’s no simple point-and-click method to specify a specific sheet, cell, or named range in a workbook. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. To open an Excel workbook to a specific sheet, cell, or named range, add the information to the address in the following form, respectively:

workbook.xls#’sheetname‘

workbook.xls#’sheetname‘!cell

workbook.xls#namedrange

#4: Fix Outlook hyperlinks that don’t work

Occasionally, the links in Outlook or Outlook Express stop working. They’re not broken, they just don’t work. There are a number of reasons this might happen. If you’re lucky, your popup manager is the problem. Before you spend a lot of time troubleshooting, hold down Ctrl and click the link. If it works, great; if not, trudge on.

Next, check the default browser setting. If you’re using Internet Explorer, choose Internet Options from the Tools menu and click the Programs tab. Check the Tell Me If Internet Explorer is Not The Default Web Browser option. Firefox and other browsers have a similar setting.

If you’ve recently switched browsers, your system could be confused. Check your folder options and reset the browser, as follows (in Windows XP):

1. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
2. Open the Folder Options settings and click the File Types tab.
3. Select (NONE) URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol from the Registered File Types list.
4. Click Advanced. Then, click Edit in the resulting dialog box.
5. Check the Application control. It should contain a reference to your browser. For instance, Figure C lists Internet Explorer, IExplorer, as the current system’s browser. Change the application if necessary by clicking Browse and locating the appropriate browser .exe file.

Figure C: Change the system browser.

The final problem may be a missing registry key or value. If that’s the case, the fix is usually simple. From the Start menu, choose Run and then enter

regsvr32 urlmon.dll

Click OK and then clear the resulting confirmation message. If that doesn’t fix the problem, run the following commands from Run:

#5: Avoid hyperlink text missteps

Hyperlinks have been around a while and most users are familiar with them. Effective links use meaningful text that describes the link’s purpose or target. Readers should know why they’re clicking and where they’re going when they do. Here are a few hyperlink text don’ts:

• Don’t use the hyperlink text “Click Here.” Your users don’t need a map to use links. In fact, you might find that people skim right over “Click Here” links.
• Don’t hyperlink several sentences or an entire paragraph.
• Don’t hyperlink verbs.
• Don’t issue commands. (”Click Here” is a command.)

For instance, “More information on creating good hyperlinks is available” is much better than Click here for more information on creating good hyperlinks or More information on creating good hyperlinks is available. The first example is succinct and clear.

#6: Hyperlink to open a new document

Opening a new document is simple enough, but you can make the task even easier with a hyperlink:

1. Choose Hyperlink from the Insert menu or click Insert Hyperlink on the Standard menu. Office 2007 users will find Hyperlink in the Links group on the Insert tab.
2. Click Create New Document.
3. Enter a name for the new document, worksheet, or presentation.
4. Check one of the edit options.
5. Click OK.
6. Click the hyperlink to open a new document.

You might add this type of hyperlink to a custom template or a document that doesn’t display the standard menus and tools. Users who are unfamiliar with the application will also find this hyperlink useful.

#7: Move and hyperlink at the same time

You can both move and define text as a hyperlink with one purposeful effort. Simply select the text and right-click it. (In Excel, right-click a cell border.) Then, drag the text to a new location and release the mouse button. When you do, the application will display the menu shown in Figure D. Choose Create Hyperlink Here. To edit the new hyperlink, right-click it and choose Edit Hyperlink.

Figure D: Right-click to move and define text as a hyperlink.

#8: Stop hyperlink hijacks

If your browser is open when you click a hyperlink in another application, Windows sometimes dumps the current page and opens the hyperlinked page. You can click Back or you can alter Internet Explorer’s behavior — this is really an IE problem and not a hyperlink problem. If you want Internet Explorer to open hyperlinks in a new window, reset the Reuse Windows For Launching Shortcut setting as follows:

1. Choose cialis dosages Internet Options from the Tools menu.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Browsing section, uncheck the Reuse Windows For Launching Shortcut (When Tabbed Browsing is Off) option.
4. Click OK.

#9: Control the link instead of browser settings

You can’t always control the browser, but you can force the issue by including appropriate instructions in the link itself. Doing so takes a bit of work, but it’s worth it if you need the control. To enter a hyperlink that opens in a new window, do the following:

1. Enter this field code:
   HYPERLINK “http://URL“no
2. Highlight the entire field code.
3. Press Ctrl + 9.
4. Click inside the code.
5. Press F9.

Now the code appears as a traditional hyperlink with a custom ScreenTip, as shown in Figure E.

Figure E: Force the default browser to open a link in a new window.

#10: Stop address formatting

By default, Office applications format a URL or e-mail address as a hyperlink. This setting is helpful to most users. This setting can be annoying if you don’t want the address formatted. To undo the format, you can press backspace or Ctrl + Z. If you unformat links most of the time, disable the setting as follows:

1. Select AutoCorrect from the Tools menu. If you’re using Office 2007, click the Office button and then click application Options (at the bottom right). Select Proofing in the left pane and then click AutoCorrect Options in the AutoCorrect Options section.
2. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
3. Uncheck the Internet and Paths With Hyperlinks option in the Replace section.
4. Click OK.

This is an all or nothing feature, though. If you disable it, you’ll have to format hyperlinks manually.

#11: Automate e-mail responses

Clicking an e-mail address hyperlink opens the default e-mail client and fills in the address. You can also fill in the subject and even the body of the message from the hyperlink using a few HTML tricks. Doing so is helpful when you want to control responses. The form you’re used to is a simple e-mail address:

address@domain.com

To control the subject text, use the following form:

address@domain.com?Subject=subjecttext

Enter message text using this form:

address@domain.com?Subject=subjecttext&Body=bodytext

Unfortunately, you can’t reliably use space characters. Replace all space characters with %20. If you don’t, the link stops at the first space character.

The following hyperlink, when clicked, displays the window shown in Figure F:

ssharkins@gmail.com?Subject=Hyperlink%20Article&Body=I%20loved%20your%20TechRepublic%20article%20on%20hyperlinks

Figure F: The hyperlink filled in the address, the subject, and entered a short message.

#12: View Outlook contacts

You can use a hyperlink to quickly display contact information in Outlook from other applications. For example, the following form opens contactname in Outlook contact’s window:

Outlook:\\Personal%20Folders\Contacts\~contactname

For more codes, search Outlook’s Help on “Types of Hyperlinks.”

#13: Quick hyperlink toolbars in Outlook

Outlook has a neat hyperlink trick — you can hyperlink any file, application, Web page, or e-mail address from the toolbar. To add a hyperlink toolbar button, do the following:

1. From the Tools menu, choose Customize and click the Commands tab.
2. Drag any button (not menus) to the toolbar.
3. Right-click the button, choose Assign Hyperlink, and then select Open.
4. Enter the path to the hyperlink’s destination and any other hyperlink properties you like.
5. Click OK and then close the Customize dialog box.

Generally, you’ll want to use a button image that represents the hyperlink’s task. If there’s no image, use a ScreenTip or the button’s Name property to display meaningful text.

Does Linux have what it takes to meet the needs of the corporate desktop? Jack Wallen thinks so. Here’s his list of office apps that can handle everything from word processing to project management to data backups.

Let’s face it: Without a good set of office applications, your workday will be a waste of time. Productivity requires the right tools, and contrary to what some people think, Linux has everything you need to get you through the day without a hitch. We’re going to look at applications that will satisfy everyone in the organization — from HR to marketing to the front office.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: OpenOffice

This one goes without saying, offering word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database management, drawing, and Web page editing. Add to that the ability to read and write Microsoft Office files and export to PDF and Flash (among other formats), and you have a complete office suite that should meet every need your office has. The OpenOffice user interface has little to no learning curve, so users will hardly know the difference between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice. OpenOffice is also cross-platform capable, with installation binaries for Linux, Solaris, Windows, and OS X (both Intel and PPC).

#2: Evolution

This is the Linux version of Outlook. Another one-stop shop, only this time it’s all about the PIM. E-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, advanced searching, desktop integration, shared vCards, junk filters, encryption, LDAP support, iCal support, and much more. And if your company uses an Exchange server, you’re in luck because the Evolution Connector will be able to keep you connected. Evolution tends to be the default e-mail client for the GNOME desktop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Evolution on KDE (or any other window manager.)

#3: Scribus

This is desktop publishing at its open source finest. Scribus can do almost anything Adobe  Acrobat can do — minus draining your wallet. Scribus does layering, opacity, ICC color management, CMYK color separations, and versatile PDF creation. With this tool, your newsletters, press packets, fliers, books, manuals, etc., are done in-house and on the cheap. I have used Scribus on numerous projects ranging from simple fliers to complex books.

#4: Gnucash

Gnucash is one of the best accounting packages available for Linux. It uses double-entry bookkeeping and is a suitable replacement for individual accounting as well as a small business accounting. Gnucash is one of the only accounting packages that is available across most all platforms (Linux, Solaris, UNIX, OS X, and Windows).

#5: OpenProj

This is the open source replacement for Microsoft Project. OpenProj has an equivalent user interface and functionality similar to Project and is interoperable with Project. OpenProj is released under the CPAL (Common Public Attribution License) license and is available for Linux, OS X, 32-bit Windows, BSD, and UNIX-like operating systems. OpenProj does require Java.

#6: Meeting Room Booking System

MRBS is a Web-based booking system for meeting rooms but can be altered to suit your needs. Although I wanted to include only applications that could be installed locally, I felt it necessary to include this application simply because it’s so useful. For corporate environments that have multiple rooms to book, this small-footprint application is perfect. It can also be modified for use as an appointment book, too. MRBS can do repeated bookings, reports, DAY/WEEK/MONTH views, multiple authorization levels, and multiple language support. The installation is simple but requires both a Web server (Apache) and a database server (either MySQL or Postgres).

#7: GnoTime

Formerly GTT, GnoTime is a desktop application that tracks time spent on projects and offers time-based invoice generation. Numerous reports can be generated (Journal, Activity, Daily, Status, To Do, Invoices, Query, Primer, New Reports, Edit Reports), and the interface is simple to use. GnoTime also includes a diary entry editor for each project. With GnoTime you can embed simple SQL queries into report templates. In addition, GnoTime benefits from autosave. So in the rare event your Linux desktop crashes, your data is safe from loss. GnoTime runs on Linux, UNIX, and OS X.

#8: GIMP

I realize that graphics software isn’t always included in lists of necessary office software — but if your office does any of its PR or marketing in-house, graphics tools are a necessity. And when using Linux, GIMP is the de facto standard for graphics creation and/or manipulation. GIMP is to Linux what Photoshop is to OS X and Windows. But GIMP goes Photoshop one better because it’s cross-platform ready. You can install GIMP on Linux, OS X, or Windows. It features a customizable interface, photo enhancement, digital retouching, cialis dosage side effects hardware support, a huge range of file format support, plug-in support, its own scripting language, filters, and a host of other outstanding features.

#9: Pidgen

Many corporate businesses have started regarding instant messaging as a legitimate form of interoffice (or inter-cubicle) communication. And Pidgin is one of the finest of the instant messaging clients. Pidgen works with nearly all of the instant messaging services and can have multiple accounts configured. It’s released under the GNU License, it’s free, and it works on Linux, UNIX, Windows, and OS X. Pidgen supports file transfer, typing notification, spell-check, buddy pouncing, away messages, etc.

#10: K3b

What office doesn’t back up data? None, if they employ safe business practices. And the CD offers one of the safest means of data backup. K3b makes backing up to CD simple. Not only can you do multiple backup types (audio, data cd, data dvd, copy cd, iso cd, iso dvd), you can save the backup information to a file. If you do the same backup regularly, all you need to do is open up the particular backup file and click burn. (No more having to drag and drop or hunt for particular files/folders to back up.) K3b can also blank CDR-Ws, retrieve TOCs, and write cue/bin files. K3b is available only for Linux and has been optimized for KDE.

This short list includes software that can easily handle much of your day-to-day office needs and do it on the Linux operating system. The software listed here is simple to use, reliable, (mostly) scalable, and business ready. Of course, this is a generalized list. Far more specialized office-type software is available on the Linux platform. One of the best places to look for such software is in your Install Software tool, such as Synaptic or Yumex. (The tool you have will depend upon the distribution you use.) Fire that tool up and look through the various categories (a good place to start is the “Office” category) to find what you need.

Linux is an outstanding platform for the office. It is flexible, cost-effective, reliable, secure, and enjoys a small learning curve. So if you’re doubting Linux can take over your office software needs, doubt no more!

If you’re like much of today’s workforce, you need to have halfway decent writing skills to succeed at your job. But if you don’t have time to work on those skills, mastering a few basic rules can still make a big difference.

Maybe you’ve never penned a single blog entry, never been asked to write a progress report, never had to read over a colleague’s work for errors, and never had to send a critically important e-mail message to your boss. If that’s the case, you’re free to go now. But for most of us, a certain amount of writing is part of our job — and unfortunately, our efforts aren’t always as effective as they should be.

We’ve talked before about some of the big blunders — grammatical mistakes and misused words — that find their way into our written communications. Now, let’s consider some of the general best practices that contribute to clean, consistent writing. These pointers are based on TechRepublic’s in-house conventions, which are based on commonly recommended guidelines. (In other words, you don’t have to agree with them. And of course, variations may exist depending on what country you live in.)

The good thing about following a few rules in your writing, even if some of them seem arbitrary or trivial, is that it frees you up to concentrate on what you’re trying to say instead of trying to figure out why something doesn’t sound right or worrying that it’s just plain wrong.

And there’s this: People will notice when your writing is tighter and more consistent. I guarantee it.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Echoes

Bad practice: Repeated words or phrases set up an echo in the reader’s head or a “Didn’t I just read that?” glitch that can be distracting.

Example:

Best practice: Vary the language to avoid annoying or distracting readers with repeated words. Even better, get rid of some of the repeated verbiage, which usually turns out to be overkill anyway.

#2: Nonparallel list items

Bad practice: We often use an inconsistent structure for lists or headings.

Example:

We will cover these topics:

• Backing up the registry
• The Registry Editor is your friend
• Using REG files
• Use a GUI tool
• Searching the registry
• Take advantage of Favorites
• Clean the registry

Best practice: Reword where necessary to make the items parallel.

#3: Agreement problems

Bad practice: Sometimes we lose track of what the subject is, and our verb doesn’t match.

Examples:

• Neither of the editors are very smart.
• The dog, as well as the goat and chicken, are easy to parallel park.
• One-third of the company are color blind.

Best practice: Scrutinize the subject to determine whether it’s singular or plural. It’s not always obvious.

#4: Referring to companies, organizations, etc., as “they”

Bad practice: A company — or any collective group that’s being referred to as a single entity — is often treated as plural, but it shouldn’t be.

Examples:

• I wish Wal-Mart would get their pot hole fixed.
• Microsoft said they’ll look at the problem.

Best practice: Unless there’s some compelling exception, use “it.”

#5: Hyphenating “ly” adverbs

Bad practice: “ly” adverbs never take a hyphen, but they pop up a lot.

Examples:

• We like to avoid commonly-used expressions.
• Click here for a list or recently-added downloads.

Best practice: Don’t hyphenate ly adverbs. The “ly” says “I modify the word that comes next,” so there’s no need to tie them together with a hyphen.

#6: Using “which” instead of “that”

Bad practice: We sometimes use “which” to set off an essential clause (instead of “that”).

Examples:

• The meeting which was scheduled for 1:00 has been cancelled.
• The option which controls this feature is disabled.

Best practice: The commonly-accepted (haha) convention in American English is to set off a nonessential clause with the word “which” and a comma. One good test is whether the information is extra — not essential to the meaning of the sentence. If the clause is essential, use “that.”

#7: Wordy constructions; deadwood phrases

Nothing is worse for a reader than having to slog through a sea of unnecessary verbiage. Here are a few culprits to watch for in your own writing.

#8: Using “that” instead of “who”

Bad practice: Some writers use “that” to refer to people.

Examples:

• The bartender that took my money disappeared.
• The end user that called this morning said he found my money.
• The folks that attended the training said it was a waste of time.

Best practice: When you’re referring to people, use “who.”

#9: Inconsistent use of the final serial comma

Bad practice: One convention says to use a comma to set off the final item in a series of three or more items; another (equally popular) cialis dosage options convention says to leave it out. But some writers bounce between the two rules.

Examples:

• Word, Excel, and Outlook are all installed. (OR: Word, Excel and Outlook are all installed.)
• Open the dialog box, click on the Options tab, and select the Enable option. (OR: Open the dialog box, click on the Options tab and select the Enable option.)

Best practice: Decide on one convention and stick to it. Those who read what you’ve written will have an easier time following your sentence structure if you’re consistent.

#10: Using a comma to join two dependent clauses

Bad practice: Commas are a great source of controversy and often the victim of misguided personal discretion. But there is this rule: Two dependent clauses don’t need one.

Examples:

• I hid the ice cream, and then told my sister where to find it.
• The user said he saved the file, but somehow deleted it.

Best practice: If the second clause can’t walk away and be its own sentence, don’t set it off with a comma.

By Diana Huggins

Windows XP includes many different features that make it accessible to all different types of users. One such feature is the Narrator, which uses Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology to enable Windows XP to play back printed text in a pre-recorded spoken voice. This can be very useful if there are users on the network who have vision impairments and difficulty reading the text that is displayed on the screen. In this article I will outline how you can configure Text-to-Speech in Windows XP and then use the Narrator to read the text that is displayed on the screen.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Text-to-Speech in Windows XP

A sound card and speakers are all you need to make Windows XP talk to you. This is because Microsoft Windows XP is capable of playing back text in a spoken voice. This technology is referred to as Text-to-Speech (TTS). Not only is this technology useful for a person with visual impairments, but it is also useful for someone who is working on multiple tasks at one time.

Windows XP makes this possible through a built-in driver called a TTS engine that is able to recognize text. It can play displayed text back using a pre-generated voice. Although it is a very useful technology, the engine included with Windows XP provides limited Text-to-Speech functionality, but you can obtain third-party engines from other manufacturers. In any case, let’s take a look at how you can configure the TTS engine included with Windows XP.

Configuring speech properties

Configuring TTS is very straightforward. Open the Speech folder within the Control Panel. The Speech Properties dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure A. It allows you to control various TTS settings.

Under Voice Selection, you can select the voice you want to use. By default, there is only one voice available in Windows XP called Microsoft Sam. Additional voices can be downloaded from various Web sites.

Figure A

cialis dosage information border=”0″ width=”390″ height=”446″ />

Configure speech properties in Windows XP.

Once you have selected a voice using the drop-down arrow, you can preview the voice by clicking the Preview Voice button. Assuming that the speakers are already connected to your computer, the voice will read the default text displayed in the Use the Following Text to Preview the Voice field. Alternatively, you can type in specific text to preview by highlighting the existing default text and typing in the text you want read.

Along with selecting a specific voice, you can also control the speed at which the voice reads text. By dragging the slider you can increase or decrease the voice speed, although the default value of Normal tends to be fine for most people.

By clicking the Audio Output button, you can select the audio output device (Figure B). From the Text to Speech Sound Output Settings dialog box, select from one of the two options: User Preferred Audio Output Device or Use This Audio Output Device. By leaving the default Use Preferred Audio Output Device option selected, the audio device used for all other sound is also used for TTS. Conversely, if there is more than one audio device installed on the computer, you can specify a separate audio output device for use with your speech programs.

Figure B

Select the Text To Speech output device.

The Text To Speech Sound Output Settings dialog box also includes a Volume button. This allows you to control the TTS volume. When you click this button, the Master Volume dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure C, allowing you to adjust the volume output levels.

Figure C

Configure the text-to-speech volume.

As you will now see in the next section, once you have configured all the text-to-speech options, you can have Windows XP read the text on your screen using the Narrator.

Configuring the Narrator

Windows XP includes its own TTS utility called the Narrator. If you require a TTS utility, keep in mind that it is limited in functionality. First of all, it is designed to work with a specific set of programs that include Control Panel programs, Notepad, WordPad, Internet Explorer, Windows Setup, and the Windows desktop. This means it may not work for other programs. Second, the Narrator is only supported on the English version of Windows XP.

To start the utility, press [Ctrl][Esc], press [R], type narrator, and press [Enter]. You can also configure the Narrator to start automatically each time you log on to the computer. Open the Utility Manager by pressing the [Windows Key][U]. Select Narrator and place a check beside the Start Automatically When I Log In option. As you can see, the Narrator is configured to start automatically when you launch the Utility Manager.

Once you open the Narrator, a dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure D. As you can see, it can be configured to perform several different TTS functions that include:

Figure D

Configure the Narrator to perform Text-to-Speech functions.

The Narrator dialog box includes a Voice button that can be used to control voice settings. As shown in Figure E, voice settings for the Narrator include Speed, Volume, and Pitch. Once you have configured the appropriate values, click OK to return to the Narrator dialog box.

Figure E

Configure Narrator voice settings.

With the Narrator settings configured, your speakers turned on, and the volume turned up, you can minimize the Narrator dialog box, and Windows XP will be ready to talk to you. Depending on how you have the Narrator configure, you should hear the pre-configured voice read the text that appears on your screen. For example, if you are working in Microsoft Word, the Narrator will repeat the text as you type. You can turn off the Narrator at any time by clicking Exit from the Narrator dialog box and clicking Yes when prompted.

Troubleshooting Text-to-Speech in Windows XP

Troubleshooting can be a difficult task, especially if you have not worked with a specific technology before. When it comes to troubleshooting Text-to-Sspeech problems, there are a few points that you should keep in mind.

• Use the Preview Text button from the Speech Properties dialog box to verify that the TTS engine.
• Open the Utility Manager to check the status of the Narrator program.
• If you do not hear any sound and you are using external speakers, make sure they are turned on.
• Check the Master Volume dialog box to make sure that muting is not enabled.
• Verify that the speakers are properly connected to the computer. You may need to check the documentation that came with the speakers for the proper procedure.
• Use Device Manager to check the status of the computer’s sound card. If necessary, reinstall or update the drivers for the device.

Now your computer can talk back to you too

Windows XP includes built-in technology to make it more accessible for users who are blind or who have vision impairments. The Text-to-Speech engine can read text on the screen using a pre-generated voice. Windows XP includes a default voice called Microsoft Sam. Other voices are available through third-party manufacturers.

You can hear your computer talk using the Narrator. This is the built-in Text-to-Speech utility that is included with Windows XP. It is designed to work with common programs that come with Windows XP, such as Internet Explorer and WordPad. You can launch the utility by typing narrator using the Run command. The Narrator provides limited Text-to-Speech functionality, but third-party programs are available from various manufacturers.

February 6th, 2009

Posted by Ed Bott

I’ve been spending most of my time lately conducting in-depth research into how Windows 7 works, in preparation for my next book. In the process, I’m discovering stuff that simply doesn’t become apparent to a casual tester. Case in point: Back in 2007, I looked at Windows Vista Home Basic and determined that it could run well on an older machine with limited resources, including 512MB of RAM. I never tried it with Vista Ultimate, nor would I have bothered. And since I don’t have that 2002-vintage test machine set up, I haven’t repeated those tests with Windows 7.

Earlier this week, I fired up a virtual machine running Windows XP SP3 so I could test upgrade scenarios with Windows 7. I couldn’t do a straight XP-to-Win7 upgrade, so I added a new virtual hard drive and installed Windows 7 in a dual-boot configuration. After making a few notes on how the setup process worked, I put the VM aside and went on to other work.

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 uses less memory than you might think

A few hours later, I went back to that new Windows 7 installation to look at a few details, and that’s when it struck me: This virtual machine was configured with a mere 512MB of RAM, and yet I hadn’t noticed any slowdowns during setup or in operation. Even more startling, I realized that I had inadvertently installed the 64-bit edition of Windows 7 Ultimate in this VM. But the most eye-opening moment came when I looked at Task Manager’s performance tab. I’ve pasted a screen grab of the memory gauge here.

The x64 edition of Windows 7 Ultimate running on just over 200MB of RAM? That was a pleasant surprise. I was also surprised to see that this clean install was using less than 9 GB of disk space in this VM. With my curiosity piqued, I configured a new VM using the same settings and did a clean install of Vista Ultimate, giving me a good baseline for comparing XP to its successors. Here are the stats for all three operating systems, with memory usage measured after all update operations had completed and the system had been idle for at least one hour:

Or, in graphical terms, with the raw numbers normalized so that XP=100:

Windows 7 uses less RAM and disk space than Vista

As you can see, on this low-resource configuration Windows 7 uses dramatically less RAM than Vista, and also has a smaller hard-disk footprint. A few configuration notes can help put these results in perspective:

• For XP, the installation includes Service Pack 3, plus all available updates including Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and Windows Search 4. The only non-Windows application installed on this system is Firefox.
• For Vista, the installation was of Ultimate Edition (x86) with Service Pack 1 and all available Critical and Recommended updates. No third-party software was installed.
• For Windows 7 Beta, I used Ultimate x64 edition. As with the Vista installation, I accepted any Critical or Recommended updates and installed no third-party software.

The numbers and charts don’t really tell the full story, though. With identical configurations, Windows 7 was dramatically faster at starting up and shutting down than Vista, and some routine tasks that would grind the Vista machine to a halt completed without incident on the Windows 7 machine.

Just for comparison’s sake, I reconfigured each system to include 1024MB of RAM. With the extra RAM available, the delta between the Windows 7 and Vista VMs narrowed dramatically, although the 64-bit edition of Windows 7 still used less RAM than Vista. On the Vista system,. this upgrade made a noticeable difference, whereas the Windows 7 system performed about the same.

Clearly, the Windows 7 development team has taken a close look at performance and disk footprint when resources aren’t abundant. I suspect that when Vista was being designed, this was an afterthought, with the notion that cheap RAM and hard disks would make those machines obsolete. They didn’t account for netbooks or for the impact of solid state drives, which offer capacities that are much smaller than equivalent rotating media.

Why does Windows 7 use so much less disk space than Vista? A very small amount of the savings (much less than I expected) is in program code. The biggest savings is from the preallocated volume shadow storage space, which holds System Restore points and backs up files via the Previous Versions feature. On my Vista virtual machine, this feature was using more than 4.6 GB of disk space. Under Windows 7, the system reserved less than 400 MB.

This attention to performance when resources are less than expected on a modern desktop PC potentially has positive implications for netbooks and other cheap PCs. I might have to haul that old 2002-era Pentium 4 out of mothballs and see how it handles Windows 7.